Former Reuters editor wins Canadian parliament seat

11/26/13 9:34 AM EST

Chrystia Freeland, formerly Reuters' digital editor, handily won a seat in the Canadian House of Commons on Monday. She has already been named co-chair of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s council of economic advisers and is expected to become a prominent voice among the Liberal members of parliament.

Freeland beat another former journalist, Linda McQuaig of the New Democratic Party, a well-known author and journalist who has worked for the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail among others.

Freeland abruptly left her job as digital editor of Reuters in July, announcing her intent to run. Her departure was seen by many as the tipping point that led to the end of the ambitious new digital news product Reuters Next, which was ultimately canceled in September.

“Losing Chrystia was the end because she was the leader” an insider told me in September. “She was the board connection; she was fighting for us, she was the one really making it happen. Without her there was no one with enough clout to fight within the company, to fight off against all these groups who didn’t want us to succeed, didn’t want this project to happen.”

Now, Freeland will be fighting for clout with a different type of board.

Fellow journalists heaped on the praise via Twitter:

I knew her when she was just my boss! RT @cafreeland: Thank you to all those who voted today in #torcen.